Miscellaneous

[poliphilo]

My mother's boiler is misbehaving. It overheats, then shuts down for an hour or two while it gets its breath back.  It was doing it when we were down there. The engineer put her in a new thermostat but that hasn't solved the problem. My mother is 91 and lives alone. She puts a brave face on things but...

We gave Nakisha a lift last night. We've done it before. People stare. An elderly Caucasian couple dropping a young Muslim girl off at her madrassa- that's not something you see every day.

I washed the kitchen window over the sink- inside and out- because it became opaque when the sun struck it at a certain angle. "When the sun struck it..." Yes, it's almost spring- and the sun is high enough to be clearing the tops of the buildings behind us and getting at a window that is shaded in winter. I mean to hang clothes on the line this morning. They won't dry but it's the gesture that counts. The air is still bitingly cold. 

Comments

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

If people stare it's people who have the problem.

An acquaintance of mine is a white muslim convert married to a Muslim guy and as she's blonde and blue eyed and wears traditional clothing, people stare.

I wish I knew why. Is it fear of the other, do you think? I know that one.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Curiosity too. You see something out of the ordinary and you give it a second glance- of course you do. The staring isn't necessarily hostile.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

Although around here, having Muslim, Sikh or Hindu friends, Chinese, African or East European friends isn't exactly novel! :o)

I've a nasty suspicion these particular stares are hostile.

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

More's the pity indeed.

I hope your mother's boiler can be fixed quickly. The elderly so need their heat (and even the not so elderly).

Our windows are in a shameful state.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I grew up without central heating. We had open fires and electric heaters for when it became really cold. It's odd how quickly we become dependent on new technologies.

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

It's more a question of "how did we even survive before?"
It's easy to become dependent on comfort.
:)